Treatment Adherence of Tuberculosis Patients Attending Two Reference Units in Equatorial Guinea

Rural-Urban Inequities in Tuberculosis-Related Practices in Equatorial Guinea

BACKGROUND

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of mortality from a single infectious disease agent. Equatorial Guinea is a country with high estimated TB incidence in 2021 (275 cases per 100,000 population) and low TB case detection (42%). Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are crucial for TB control. Failure to seek adequate health care increases the disease's transmission and leads to poor treatment outcome, the mortality, even for easily manageable conditions. Information regarding community management of TB and treatment-seeking patterns in Equatorial Guinea is rare. The aim of this study was to explore differences in TB health-seeking behaviour among urban and rural population TB cases in Equatorial Guinea and the factors associated with this behaviour.

METHODS

A national cross-sectional study of 770 household caregivers was conducted in 2020 in Equatorial Guinea using multistage stratified sampling. The 284 caregivers that reported having had a TB case in their family were included in this study. A practice index was created. Poisson regression with robust variance was performed with the practices index as dependent variable to assess the factors associated with the health-seeking behaviour.

RESULTS

Most of the cases (65%) have had good TB health-seeking practices. However, 23.2% of TB cases reported having abandoned treatment before 6 months. A higher probability of having good TB practices was observed with being women, aged and living in rural area. Those who were TB cases themselves have heard about TB on the radio, and had high knowledge about TB, hand also good practices.

CONCLUSIONS

Disparities in tuberculosis health-seeking behaviour between rural and urban populations highlight the challenges existing in the fight against this infectious disease. The National Tuberculosis Control Program has to reinforce the health system needs to strengthen the follow-up of TB patients taking into account the population at risk of inappropriate TB behaviour.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Not applicable.

Association between concern about COVID-19, social support and knowledge about tuberculosis with adherence to antituberculosis treatment in Lima, Perú

INTRODUCTION

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, information on factors associated with adherence to antituberculosis treatment in areas with high prevalence of tuberculosis is scarce.

OBJETIVE

To evaluate whether there is an association between social support, concern about COVID-19 infection and knowledge about tuberculosis, and non-adherence to antituberculosis treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODOS

A cross-sectional study was carried out on patients under antituberculosis treatment, from January to March, 2022, in centers located in areas with a high prevalence of tuberculosis in Lima. We used the Morisky Green-Levine questionnaire to assess adherence to treatment as the dependent variable; the independent variables were evaluated using the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey for perceived social support and concern about COVID-19 infection, and the Battle Test to assess patients’ knowledge about their disease. We used Poisson regression with robust variance to evaluate the association between the independent variables and the dependent one.

RESULTS

Out of 101 participants (73.3% male with an average age of 35.1 ± 16 years), 51.5% were non-adherent to antituberculosis treatment. Medium or high level of concern about getting COVID-19 was associated with a higher prevalence of non-adherence to treatment (odds ratio: 1.68; 95 % confidence interval: 1.09-2.57) (adjusted for considered confounding variables).

CONCLUSIONS

Non-adherence is a frequent condition among patients living in an area with a high prevalence of tuberculosis in Lima, especially among those with a higher concern for COVID-19 infection.

EO. Medication Adherence among Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients in Treatment Centers in a Southern Nigerian Local Government Area: Question Mark on Performance of DOTS Services

Background

Directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) offers free, accessible and effective treatments with high treatment success rate and retention. Despite this, evidence from Rivers State suggest a downward trend in tuberculosis (TB) cure rate and a high burden of drug resistance among pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients. Medication adherence appears to play a key role in TB evolution. Aim: to assess medication adherence and its determinants among pulmonary TB clients in DOTS centers.

Methodology

A total of 225 adult PTB clients from eightactive DOTS centers in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State were selected. A validated questionnaire, Morisky Medication adherence Scale-8 was used to collect medication-taking behaviour of clients, dichotomised into adherent and non-adherent. Binary logistic regression was conducted to check crude association between medication adherence and client/treatment factors. Variables with p<0.2 were selected and subjected to multivariate logistic regression with alpha set at p<0.05.

Results

Non-adherence to medication was 35.1% with forgetfulness and stress with medication plan as top reasons for non-adherence. Factors associated with non-adherence included persisting sputum production (aOR: 2.951(1.027-8.482);p=0.045), past treatment history (aOR: 5.422(1.93-15.228);p=0.001) and smoking (aOR: 7.779(1.58-38.305);p=0.012).

Conclusion

Over one-thirds of PTB clients in DOTS centers in Obio/Akpor LGA were non-adherent to anti-TB medications. Factors associated with non-adherence included persisting sputum production, past treatment history and smoking. To attenuate these risk factors for non-adherence, training and retraining of DOTS center staff on counselling is a smart option that can be explored by the LGA, providers and managers of the DOTS programme.

Nonadherence Predictors to Tuberculosis Medications among TB Patients in Gambella Region of Ethiopia

Background

Global tuberculosis (TB) disease deaths rise comparable to the one seen in 2015 (by 200,000) or even in 2012 (by 400,000) as a result of the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ethiopia's Gambella region is leading for years in terms of TB cases and its comorbidities. The TB control program effectiveness depends on in large on the patients completing the appropriate treatment regimen. Hence, the objective of this study was to determine the determinants of nonadherence to anti-TB drug treatment among patients in Gambella regional state of Ethiopia.

Methods

A case-control study was conducted on cohorts of TB patients sampled from four public health facilities in Gambella Region from January 2019 to 2020, followed by 18 months of follow-up. The total sample size was 296 patients (74 cases and 222 controls) with a response rate of 97.3% (288 : 72 nonadhered cases and 216 controls). Cases (nonadhered) were TB patients who missed 10% of the doses while controls were patients, who completed 90% or more doses.

Results

TB patients, who perceived stigma [AOR = 2.7 at 95% CI (1.1–6.6) with P value <0.05], failed to receive any counseling during the treatment course [AOR = 65.24 at 95% CI (11.69–363.95) with P value <0.01], patients who used to smoking during treatment [AOR = 15.4 at 95% CI (7.7–30) with P value <0.01], taking TB medications regularly has no benefits [AOR = 6.8 at 95% CI (1.8–24.9) with P value <0.05], and patients believing TB disease as not severe [AOR = 8.38 at 95% CI (2.0–34.6) with P value <0.05] were significantly or highly significantly associated with nonadherence to anti-TB drugs medications.

Conclusion

The determinants of nonadherence to anti-TB treatment among TB patients in the Gambella region during the study period were the absence of counselling services, and patients' behavior (smoking habits, undermining the severity of TB disease, lack of trust in the outcomes of regular medications, and perceived stigmatization). Accordingly, capacitating healthcare providers and workers at all TB clinics for effective counseling , preventing perceived stigma by protecting the patient's secrecy, and routine health education has paramount importance for effective TB control in Gambella.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Stigma: The Perceptions of Tuberculosis in Equatorial Guinea

Tuberculosis remains one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in Equatorial Guinea, with an estimated incidence of 280 per 100,000 inhabitants, an estimated mortality rate of 96 per 100,000 inhabitants, and a treatment non-adherence rate of 21.4%. This study aimed to identify the factors associated to TB-related knowledge, attitudes, and stigma in order to design community intervention strategies that could improve TB diagnostic and treatment adherence in Equatorial Guinea. A nationwide cross-sectional survey of 770 household caregivers was conducted in Equatorial Guinea about TB knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Knowledge, attitude, and stigma scores were calculated through correct answers and the median was used as cut-off. Associated factors were analyzed calculating prevalence ratio (PR) and a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) through Poisson regression with robust variance. The percentage of women was 53.0% and median age was 46 years (IQR: 33–60). The percentage of caregivers with high TB related knowledge was 34.9%, with a bad attitude (52.5%) and low stigma (40.4%). A greater probability of having good knowledge was observed in those 45 years old or less (PR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1–1.6), those with higher education level (PR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1–1.8) and higher wealth (PR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0–2.0), while sex (PR = 0.8, 95% CI: 0.6–0.9), religion (PR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0–1.8), and good knowledge (PR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.2–1.7) were associated with good attitudes. Wage employment (PR = 95% CI: 1.2–1.4), feeling well informed (PR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.6–0.8), having good TB knowledge (PR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1–1.7), and some sources of information were associated with having lower TB-related stigma. This study found that a high percentage of caregivers in Equatorial Guinea lack important knowledge about TB disease and have bad attitudes and high TB-related stigma. Given the epidemiological situation of TB in the country, it is urgent to improve TB knowledge and awareness among Equatorial Guinea’s general population.

Factors Related to Complying with Anti-TB Medications Among Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Patients in Indonesia

BACKGROUND

A variety of factors influenced the decision of tuberculosis (TB) drug-resistant patients to continue treatment. The study aimed to analyze factors that influence complying with anti-TB medications in patients with TB drug resistance in Indonesia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study employed a cross-sectional approach and was conducted in various community health centers and polyclinics offering TB drug-resistant services in Bandung city, Indonesia. Participants were 79 patients with TB drug resistance who met the criteria during their treatment for TB drug resistance, were willing to be involved in the research, and accessed TB services in Bandung. Complying with anti-TB medications scale, TB Health Behaviors questionnaire, the family support questionnaire, the TB-Related Stigma Scale, and TB knowledge were used in this study. Data were analyzed using Spearman's Rho.

RESULTS

Health behavior (r = 0.36) was positively associated with complying with anti-TB medications, while family support, TB stigma, and knowledge were not related to treatment compliance.

CONCLUSION

Information on these factors will inform the development of models and modules for the prevention and control of TB drug resistance in Indonesia, which can later be used widely in Indonesia.

Determinants of adherence to anti-TB treatment and associated factors among adult TB patients in Gondar city administration, Northwest, Ethiopia: based on health belief model perspective

BACKGROUND

Adherence is crucial in treating Tuberculosis to achieve the required treatment success rate. However, due to the longer treatment duration, adherence to Tuberculosis treatment is the most challenging factor affecting Tuberculosis control. Furthermore, although several studies have reported the determinants of Tuberculosis treatment adherence, few of them have used Health Belief Model (HBM) as the guiding principle to determine the individual perception of health-related decisions as much or more than medical concerns with Tuberculosis treatment adherence. Therefore, this study aims to assess adherence to anti-Tuberculosis treatment and associated factors among adult Tuberculosis patients in Gondar city, Northwest Ethiopia, in 2020.

METHODS

Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among Tuberculosis patients following anti-Tuberculosis treatment in Gondar city health facilities from February 20 to March 26, 2020. A total of 265 Tuberculosis patients were selected by systematic random sampling techniques that include patients who were on treatment follow up for ≥ 1 month and whose age is ≥ 18 years. Data were collected by trained data collectors using interviewer administer and structured questionnaires. EPI DATA version 4.2 was used for data entry and SPSS version 24 for analysis. The logistic regression model was used to indicate the association between independent variables with adherence to anti Tuberculosis treatment.

RESULTS

The overall rate of adherence to anti-Tuberculosis treatment was 90.6% within the last 4 weeks and 96.6% within the last 4 days. Multivariable analysis revealed that having treatment supporter [AOR = 3.51, 95% CI (1.15, 10.75)], difficulties in taking TB drugs regularly [AOR = 0.07, 95% CI (0.01, 0.31)], perceived benefit [AOR = 3.45, 95% CI (1.07, 11.08)] and perceived self-efficacy [AOR = 0.22, 95% CI (0.07, 0.63)] were independently associated with adherence to anti-Tuberculosis treatment.

CONCLUSION

The treatment adherence rate of the patients was low in the last month before the data survey. Treatment supporters, difficulties in taking anti Tuberculosis drugs regularly, perceived benefit, and perceived self-efficacy were identified as affecting adherence to anti-TB treatment.

Adherence to TB treatment remains low during continuation phase among adult patients in Northwest Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Patients' failure to adhere to TB treatment was a major challenge that leads to poor treatment outcomes. In Ethiopia, TB treatment success was low as compared with the global threshold. Despite various studies done in TB treatment adherence, little was known specifically in continuation phase where TB treatment is mainly patient-centered. This study aimed to determine adherence to TB treatment and its determinants among adult patients during continuation phase.

METHODS

We deployed a facility-based cross-sectional study design supplemented with qualitative data to explore perspectives of focal healthcare providers. The study population was all adult (≥18 years) TB patients enrolled in the continuation phase and focal healthcare workers in TB clinics. The study included 307 TB patients from 22 health facilities and nine TB focal healthcare providers purposively selected as key-informant. A short (11 questions) version Adherence to Refill and Medication Scale (ARMS) was used for measuring adherence. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire and in-depth interview for qualitative data. Binary logistic regression was applied to identify factors associated with patient adherence. We followed a thematic analysis for the qualitative data. The audio data was transcribed, coded and categorized into themes using OpenCode software.

RESULTS

Among 307 participants, 64.2% (95% CI (58.6-69.4%) were adherent to TB treatment during continuation phase. A multi-variable analysis shown that secondary education (AOR = 4.138, 95% CI; 1.594-10.74); good provider-patient relationship (AOR = 1.863, 95% CI; 1.014-3.423); good knowledge on TB treatment (AOR = 1.845, 95% CI; 1.012-3.362) and middle family wealth (AOR = 2.646, 95% CI; 1.360-5.148) were significantly associated with adherence to TB treatment. The majority (58%) of patients mentioned forgetfulness, and followed by 17.3% of them traveling away from home without pills as major reasons for non-adherence to TB treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The study indicated that patients' adherence to TB treatment remains low during continuation phase. The patient's education level, knowledge, family wealth, and provider-patient relationship were found positively associated with patient adherence. Forgetfulness, traveling away, and feeling sick were major reasons for non-adherence to TB treatment. Interventional studies are needed on those factors to improve patient adherence to TB treatment during continuation phase.

Factors Influencing Adherence to Tuberculosis Treatment in the Ketu North District of the Volta Region, Ghana

Annually, ten million cases of tuberculosis (TB) and about 1.8 million mortalities are recorded. Adherence to TB treatment not only reduces death outcomes but prevents prolonged sickness, transmission to others, and the development of multidrug-resistant TB. This study is aimed at determining the rate of treatment adherence, knowledge of TB infection, and the possible factors influencing adherence to TB treatment in the Ketu North District in the Volta Region of Ghana. A cross-sectional study design was employed. A semistructured questionnaire was used to obtain data from respondents. Adherence to TB treatment and knowledge level about TB infection were assessed. A Chi-square test analysis was used to determine the variables that were associated with treatment adherence. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine potential factors that contribute to treatment adherence. A total of 125 TB registrants were enrolled in the study. The majority (102 (81.6%)) adhered to the TB treatment regimen. However, the level of knowledge about night sweat being a symptom of TB infection was relatively low (78 (62.4%)). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the male gender was about three times more likely (OR = 2.978, 95%CI = 1.173‐7.561; p = 0.022) to be associated with adherence to TB treatment. However, food availability (OR = 2.208, 95% CI (0.848-5.753); p = 0.10) and household size (OR = 0.538, 95% CI (0.195-1.483); p = 0.23) were not significantly associated with treatment adherence. In this study, adherence to TB treatment and the knowledge level of TB infection were high. However, the knowledge level of night sweat being a symptom of TB infection was relatively low. Being a male was significantly associated with treatment adherence. An intensified health education on the symptoms of TB infection is therefore recommended.

All nonadherence is equal but is some more equal than others? Tuberculosis in the digital era

Adherence to treatment for tuberculosis (TB) has been a concern for many decades, resulting in the World Health Organization's recommendation of the direct observation of treatment in the 1990s. Recent advances in digital adherence technologies (DATs) have renewed discussion on how to best address nonadherence, as well as offering important information on dose-by-dose adherence patterns and their variability between countries and settings. Previous studies have largely focussed on percentage thresholds to delineate sufficient adherence, but this is misleading and limited, given the complex and dynamic nature of adherence over the treatment course. Instead, we apply a standardised taxonomy - as adopted by the international adherence community - to dose-by-dose medication-taking data, which divides missed doses into 1) late/noninitiation (starting treatment later than expected/not starting), 2) discontinuation (ending treatment early), and 3) suboptimal implementation (intermittent missed doses). Using this taxonomy, we can consider the implications of different forms of nonadherence for intervention and regimen design. For example, can treatment regimens be adapted to increase the "forgiveness" of common patterns of suboptimal implementation to protect against treatment failure and the development of drug resistance? Is it reasonable to treat all missed doses of treatment as equally problematic and equally common when deploying DATs? Can DAT data be used to indicate the patients that need enhanced levels of support during their treatment course? Critically, we pinpoint key areas where knowledge regarding treatment adherence is sparse and impeding scientific progress.

Associated factors with treatment adherence of patients diagnosed with chronic disease: Relationship with health literacy

AIM

This study aimed to examine the relationship between the health literacy level and treatment adherence in patients with chronic disease.

BACKGROUND

Nonadherence to treatment and insufficient health literacy can cause a decrease in understanding treatment methods, an increase in medication errors, and an increase in morbidity and mortality rates.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study comprised a total of 200 patients who were taking medication for a chronic disease. Data were collected using an 18-item questionnaire for sociodemographic and medical characteristics, the Adult Health Literacy Scale (AHLS), and the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS).

RESULTS

Of the patients, 42.5% reported that they took three or more medications per day, and 32.0% reported that they did not know the side effects of these medications. Of the patients, 39.0% had low adherence to treatment. The mean score of the AHLS was 12.8 ± 4.74 (min = 2; max = 21). A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the AHLS scores and MMAS scores (r = 0.604; p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed that patients' adherence to treatment increased as their health literacy increased. Thus, it is recommended that health literacy levels of the patients be raised through effective interventions to ensure better adherence to treatment.

Adherence to Anti-Tuberculosis Treatment Among Pediatric Patients at Nekemte Specialized Hospital, Western Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Non-adherence to tuberculosis treatment is the most challenging and hindering factor for successful tuberculosis therapy. The long duration of tuberculosis treatment and the undesirable effects of anti-tuberculosis drugs result in non-adherence to treatment among pediatric patients. Hence, this study was aimed to evaluate pediatrics adherence status among tuberculosis pediatric patients on anti-tuberculosis treatment at Nekemte Specialized Hospital.

METHODS

A health facility-based cross-sectional study design was used to recruit pediatric TB patients who were receiving their treatment between February 15 and March 15, 2019. Adherence to tuberculosis therapy was evaluated using data obtained from face-to-face interviews of their respective caregivers. The collected data were entered into EPI-manager 4.0.2 software and analyzed using SPSS version 24. Logistic regression was used to analyze the variables and variables with p-value <0.05 had a statistically significant association with the adherence to anti TB treatment.

RESULTS

Among 202 participants involved in the study, 120 (59.4%) of them were males and 119 (58.9%) were in the age category of 11-15 years. A total of 166 (82.2%) of the patients had extra-pulmonary tuberculosis and 174 (86.1%) of them were in the intensive phase. Of the pediatric tuberculosis patients, 48 (73.3%) of them have adhered to the treatment regimen. Female gender [AOR: 3.3, 95% CI: 1.52-7.2], younger age (0-5 years) [AOR: 5.96 95% CI: 1.81-19.6], living in urban area [AOR: 3.73, 95% CI: 1.67-8.36], and patients who did not experience side effect [AOR: 2.87, 95% CI: 1.41-5.81] were predictors of good adherence to tuberculosis treatment up on multivariable logistic regression analysis.

CONCLUSION

The level of adherence observed in our study area was low. Age, sex, residence, and side effect experience showed an association with tuberculosis treatment adherence. Therefore, health care providers should educate all patients with tuberculosis before the initiation of anti-tuberculosis treatment.

Factors Associated with Participation in Pulmonary Tuberculosis Screening Using Chest X-Ray among Diabetes Mellitus Type II Patients in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

Diabetes mellitus (DM) increases the risk of developing pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) disease. Therefore, pulmonary TB screening among DM patients is essential. This study aimed to identify factors associated with participation of DM type II patients in pulmonary TB screening using chest X-ray. This was a cross-sectional analytic study and was part of TB-DM screening study in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. The sample consisted of 365 DM type II patients selected by quota sampling among DM type II patients joining the screening program from January until March 2016 in 11 public health centres in Denpasar. Data were collected via structured interviews. The contributing factors were determined by modified Poisson regression test for cross-sectional data. From the findings, less than half (45.48%) of DM type II patients participated in chest X-ray examination for TB. Factors associated with participation in pulmonary TB screening were having a higher educational level [APR = 1.34, 95% CI (1.07–1.67)], having family member who developed pulmonary TB disease [APR = 1.47, 95% CI (1.12–1.93)], the travel time to referral hospital for screening being ≤ 15 minutes [APR = 1.6, 95% CI (1.26–2.03)], having health insurance [APR = 2.69, 95% CI (1.10–6.56)], and receiving good support from health provider [APR = 1.35, 95% CI (1.06–1.70)]. Therefore, training for health provider on providing counselling, involvement of family members in screening process, and improving the health insurance coverage and referral system are worth considering.

Factors influencing adherence to tuberculosis treatment in Asmara, Eritrea: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Non-adherence to tuberculosis (TB) treatment is an important barrier for TB prevention and control. Poor adherence may result in prolonged disease infectiousness, drug resistance, relapse and death. The aim of this study was to assess factors influencing adherence to tuberculosis treatment in selected health facilities in Asmara, Eritrea.

METHODS

A qualitative study which included in-depth interviews with 12 TB patients, three focus group discussions in selected health facilities in which one group comprised eight patients and key informant interviews with three health workers. Data analysis was done by translating and transcribing the verbatim of the interviews and focus group discussions. Transcribed data was then analysed using thematic framework procedure.

RESULTS

This study found that patients lacked knowledge about the cause, transmission and duration of treatment of TB. The most common reason mentioned for discontinuing treatment was the patient "felt cured". Almost half of the respondents did not know the standard treatment duration and the consequences they face if they halt treatment. Patients reported losing their job when their diagnosis was known, were too ill to continue working or unable to find daily work due to time-consuming treatment arrangements. With few exceptions, the majority of patients reported that the short distance to the clinic encouraged them to attend regular treatment follow-up. Most of the respondents were unable to get enough food, leading to stress and feelings of hopelessness. Lack of social support for most of the patients was a critical factor for adherence as were stigma, medication side effects and long treatment duration. Recognized as an enabler to treatment adherence, health workers had good communication and positive attitude towards their patients.

CONCLUSION

Lack of knowledge, loss of income, stigma and lack of social support, drug side effects and long treatment duration emerged as important barriers for treatment adherence. Short distances to health facilities, good communication and accepting attitude of health care providers emerged as enablers for treatment adherence. For better treatment adherence, comprehensive health education at treatment sites, patient's family members and the community at large and strengthening of social support structures need to be addressed.

Tuberculosis Treatment Adherence of Patients in Kosovo

Setting

The poor patient adherence in tuberculosis (TB) treatment is considered to be one of the most serious challenges which reflect the decrease of treatment success and emerging of the Multidrug Resistance-TB (MDR-TB). To our knowledge, the data about patients' adherence to anti-TB treatment in our country are missing.

Objective

This study was aimed to investigate the anti-TB treatment adherence rate and to identify factors related to eventual nonadherence among Kosovo TB patients.

Design

This study was conducted during 12 months, and the survey was a descriptive study using the standardized questionnaires with total 324 patients.

Results

The overall nonadherence for TB patient cohort was 14.5%, 95% CI (0.109–0.188). Age and place of residence are shown to have an effect on treatment adherence. Moreover, the knowledge of the treatment prognosis, daily dosage, side effects, and length of treatment also play a role. This was also reflected in knowledge regarding compliance with regular administration of TB drugs, satisfaction with the treatment, interruption of TB therapy, and the professional monitoring in the administration of TB drugs.

Conclusion

The level of nonadherence TB treatment in Kosovar patients is not satisfying, and more health care worker's commitments need to be addressed for improvement.

Association of Body Mass Index with Timing of Death during Tuberculosis Treatment

Background

The association between body mass index and mortality in patients with tuberculosis has not been extensively studied, and the existing evidence is inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the impact of body mass index on timing of death in patients with tuberculosis.

Methods

All Taiwanese adults with tuberculosis in Taipei, Taiwan, were included in a retrospective cohort study in 2011–2012. Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between body mass index and timing of death in patients with tuberculosis.

Results

Among 1557 eligible patients, 84.1% (1310), 8.2% (128), and 7.6% (119) underwent successful treatment, early death, and late death, respectively. The mean age of the patients with tuberculosis was 64.2 years old, and 67.7% were male. After controlling for potential confounding variables, underweight with body mass index less than 18.5 kg/ m² was significantly associated with elevated risk of all-cause mortality [Adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 1.64; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.17–2.30]. Considering timing of death, underweight with body mass index less than 18.5 was significantly associated only with elevated risk of early mortality within the first 8 weeks of treatment onset (AOR, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.45–3.40)

Conclusions

For patients with tuberculosis infection, underweight with body mass index less than 18.5 kg/ m² is an independent predictor for early mortality within the first 8 weeks of treatment.